15 July 2014

5 Tips for Photographing Kids :: Guest Post Meg Pitts

I am SO excited to share this post with you all today, put together by blog friend Meg from Me With The Three. Meg is a mama of two gorgeous kiddos, and I love seeing her pictures of them on her blog. She shares with us 5 Tips to getting those great shots! Hope you enjoy! Be sure to pop over to visit Meg after this too!

While I don't call myself a professional, I do consider myself a photographer.

And usually my subjects are my little dudes, because they're just kind of handy that way.

So I thought I'd share some things I've learned along the way in trying to capture them each day.

1. Kick up that shutter speed. Is it just me or do you feel like there's always a blur of activity going on around you? One of the ways I "fight the blur" is to kick up the shutter speed so that I can stop

their motion (at least in photographs.)

For instance, in this photo Big Bro is riding this skateboard/slide thing and it was going fast! I put

my shutter speed on 1/400 and snapped away. Most of the time my camera is set on at least 1/125

if I'm trying to get a clear shot of them.

Just remember, if you knock up the shutter speed it might make the photo darker, so adjust your ISO or aperture to compensate.

2. Never say "cheese." So I realize this might be more of a preference, but it works for me.

I don't ask my kids to look at the camera and "say cheese."

I've found that does a couple things. 1, it makes them have a goofy fake grin. And 2, it takes the

"realness" out of the image.

Like the shot above, had I told him to smile he probably would have stopped hanging there and

done something opposite of smile.

By just snapping the photo, I got him in his element, hanging on anything and everything.

3. Let it be. I touched on this in the last point... let them be. Don't take their attention off whatever

they're doing to have them look at the camera.

It ruins the vibe of the photo.

Bonus tip: Capture them in all their messy glory. You'll love having those memories later on!

4. It's all in the details. Back to messes again. Apparently we're in a constant state of mess around

here.

In this shot, I could have zoomed out and captured the whole scene (which I did for another photograph) but for this one, I chose to capture the slimy details of his little legs covered in homemade "monster slime."

Don't forget to capture the little things about the kids... their chubby little toes, their eyelashes, the way their hair lays on their head...anything. Things you don't want to forget as they grow older!

5. Snap away! I know some photographers say the problem with digital cameras is that we have lost

the "art" of taking a photograph. We used to have to really study the subject and get the camera settings perfect before we snapped the shot because film was expensive and in short supply.

Not me. I believe we should use new technology and all it's benefits, and in this case its the ability to take TONS of shots! Don't hesitate to keep snapping away. That's how I get some of the best shots of my dudes.

How about you? What are some of your go-to tips and techniques for photographing kids?